The Chicago Tribune as a Provocateur

Emanuel A. Winston, a Middle East analyst & commentator
February 25, 2001

Once again, the CHICAGO TRIBUNE remains consistent in twisting the news so that somehow, the reader is left with the impression that the Israelis are the aggressors and the Palestinians are the innocent victims. Their Saturday, February 24th issue is another vulgar display of the TRIBUNE'S vicious bias. Let's dissect the article by Hugh Dellios, the TRIB's foreign correspondent and their current Spinmeister of the news.

This front page article is first preceded by a large center color photograph of a Palestinian man carrying a child and leading another through a chain link fence. (Stage One in a massaged sympathy story guides the reader into thoughts that this innocent man and babes are somehow being victimized by those unfair Israelis.) This photo is juxtaposed above a provocative headline "Mideast Unrest Greets Powell's Visit". It just so happens that many Palestinians are walking along the Mediterranean Beach because the roads are blocked due to Palestinian violence with live gunfire and grenades. The man and his children are in no danger although juxtaposed with a provocative headline, it appears so. What's missing are the four mortar shells that previously fell first on Jewish homes in two separate Jewish settlements. No pictures of Jews being killed or maimed are generally featured lead visuals in the TRIBUNE'S arrangement of photos to maximize psychological waves of sympathy. The picture, the provocative headline, are all designed to set the mind of the reader to see each Israeli action as unfair, unjust and aggressive. Eliciting misleading sympathy, the photo of this man and children, the chain link fence and small sign saying: "Danger, No Entry" are all artfully composed to lure the unwary reader!

LET'S GO ON

Hugh Dellios tells us that Israelis used tanks to fire on two Palestinian Police Posts and cut the Gaza Strip in half with road closures. Now, with that lead statement and only after the reader has increased his/her anger does Dellios mention that Palestinian 'militants' (not called terrorists) fired mortar shells into two Jewish settlements. Note that, if Dellios had started with the fact that Palestinian militants had fired mortar shells into two Jewish settlements and then followed by the Israelis retali ation the reader would have an entirely different outlook. Dellios also neglected to mention that Arafat's Police have taken an adversarial position shooting Israelis along with the other shooters.

Dellios goes on to speak about the 5 month escalation of the Palestinian war of attrition when Arafat declares another Day of Rage against the Israeli 'occupation of Palestinian territories'. This escalation interferes with Colin Powell's plans to ask (demand) that Israel lift the restrictions of the Palestinian economy. This is an artful propagandistic twisting of the facts and the readers' minds.

First, the 5 month Palestinian war was in preparation for several years prior to the "Green Lights" to violence. Before Prime Minister Elect Ariel Sharon's supposed provocation of his visit to the Jewish Temple Mount, the prior two months were used as to stockpile food, medicine and weapons. The Palestinian media admitted this later. Dellios, an 'on the ball' reporter had to know this, since most of the International Press corps were well-briefed in Arafat's war preparations.

Next, Arafat ordered the violence after he already had control over 95% of the Palestinian people, plus Barak had offered half of Jerusalem, control of the Temple Mount, , the Jordan Valley, return of refugees and more. (None of which Barak had the right to offer but nevertheless, Arafat rejected even that when he issued his "Green Light".) Remember, the territories they call 'occupied' came into the hands of Israel after the Arabs initiated 4 wars (followed by another 2 wars) all intended to annihilate the Jewish State of Israel.

Then, Colin Powell, on orders from the new President George W. Bush, Jr. had no right to ask Israel to lift restrictions instituted due to attacks by Palestinians against Israelis. The Palestinian economy is now in dire straits due to their own war of attrition. The other Arab countries have stopped their financial donations to Arafat (except for Saddam Hussein). Similarly the Europeans also stopped their donations to Arafat's corrupt Palestinian Authority. But, Israel, at American request or orders is supp osed to provide dollars to the collapsing PA to pay its soldiers and buy ammunition for them to attack Israelis.

Page 2: Large composed photo of Israeli soldier sleeping on the ground next to a large artillery shell. He has what looks to be an M-14 rifle with a grenade launcher laid casually across his sleeping body. In the background is a large bulldozer. Are you getting the picture and its intent? In this one paragraph, Dellios cleverly turned the facts on their head and guided the reader toward the conclusion that all of the violence was Israel's fault. There lies the 'aggressive enemy' who is responsible for shoot ing large artillery shells and a bulldozer used to destroy Palestinian houses. This is called subliminal advertising in the parlance of the PR or Propaganda Profession.

In the copy on that page, Dellios speaks of anti-American sentiment which grows among Palestinians angry over American/British bombing strikes against Iraq. That's what Dellios says, but - this is what he means to convey:

'American readers, take notice that Arabs are blaming you for your support of Israel and they are linking the Bush strike against Saddam with your support of Israel. So,' (according to Dellios) 'Be angry with Israel. Send messages to Bush NOT to support Israel in their war against the Arafat and the Palestinian people.'

Are you beginning to wonder about whom Dellios and the CHICAGO TRIBUNE are working for and allied with?

To continue: Dellios: "After a march (by Palestinians) in Ramallah, dozens of Palestinian demonstrators hurled stones at Israeli troops. The Israeli troops responded with rubber coated steel bullets. Ten Palestinians were hurt." "Later", Dellios says, "gunman in the crowd shot at Israeli troops who returned the fire."

Note the Dellios subterfuge: The gunman didn't come from nowhere; they had to be there all the time. This has been the M.O. (Modus Operandi) of Arafat's Tanzim gunman - mingle with the stone-throwing crowd of young people used as human shields, then start shooting. Other reports state that soldiers were attacked by gunfire and grenades in Gaza.

Dellios knew this but positioned the story as if the Israelis were the attackers in conflict with a crowd of stone-throwers (usually young people brought in by cars and buses by the Tanzim to infiltrate the crowd and hopefully become photogenic martyrs). Dellios tells us that, only 'later' did the gunman shoot. Note, how Dellios artfully avoids calling them Arafat's Tanzim or terrorists. They are merely 'gunman' and not quite as aggressive.

It is all supposed to be 'spontaneous' and the Israelis are the 'aggressors'. Lucky that Dellios had paid photographers on the spot to record the 'spontaneous' flare-up! But, today there were no child martyrs so photographers had to use what was available. Apparently, the Israelis didn't hurt or kill anyone, so the TRIB had to fall back on static shots of babies and sleeping soldiers.

Dellios later speaks of Arafat calling on the E.U. (European Union) to play a more vigorous role in Middle East Peace-Making - (an Oxymoron).

Dellios did not tell his readers what he knows, namely that Arafat's original plan in his "Green Light" war of attrition was to get the E.U. and the U.N. to use international pressure to stampede Israel into total capitulation to end with a coalition of Arab nations completing their intent of six prior wars, namely elimination of the non-Muslim Jewish State of Israel.

Now, Dellios, in order to cover his very exposed journalistic a.., closes his propaganda 'tour de force' by stating in the last paragraphs:

Dellios: "The latest flare-ups began Thursday night when Palestinians fired four mortar shells into Jewish homes at the Jewish settlements of Dugit and Alei Sinai in the Northern Gaza Strip. In response, Israeli tanks shelled two Palestinian Police Stations [from which the mortars were fired]. Friday, Army bulldozers later razed the buildings.

Israel also blocked the main North-South roads, cutting the Gaza Strip in half. Hundreds of Palestinians walked along the Mediterranean Beach to get around Army roadblocks."

Now, we are back on the Front Page photo with the man and his babies going through a chain-link fence. The picture was arranged to give the impression that these civilians were victims under fire escaping and in vital danger or in a fenced concentration camp.

The TRIBUNE has often earned itself the appellation of a purveyor of yellow journalism. The TRIB has always been thought of by the Jewish people as anti-Semitic and an enemy of the Jewish State. If there was journalistic justice, these people would be drummed out of the profession as unethical provocateurs who incite hatred, with hostile articles, carefully spun to appear as accurate reporting. Surely, such biased reporting will hurt the reputations of all other Media resources (some of whom do follow their example and assist in the demonization of the Jewish State).

This is an issue that pulpit rabbis and Christian clergy would want to use as a sermon for ethical behavior. This is not a trivial passing matter since the CHICAGO TRIBUNE has a record dating from the times of Col. McCormack, the TRIBUNE'S founder, through the times of the Holocaust - up to the present of hostility toward the Jews and Israel.

We, the Jewish people, are well acquainted with the media and other institutions preparing the minds of its public for acceptance of Genocide and whatever creative malevolence they could inspire.

The moral question to be discussed is whether readers should be exposed to biased journalism which could incite hatred of Jews. Teachers in the public school system should make the biased articles of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE a class for discussion of ethical journalism. Truth in reporting should be spoken about in every pulpit, classroom and, above all, in those meeting where the editors decide what's fit to print.

1. "Mideast Unrest Greets Powell Visit: Israel Splits Gaza in Half After Shelling" by Hugh Dellios CHICAGO TRIBUNE February 24, 2001

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